Entangled links, transactions and trees for distributed computing systems

Abstract

An entangled links mechanism to establish and maintain bipartite temporal intimacy between pairs of computers using an idempotent, reversible token method, which presents no observable external “change” until communication of information needs to occur between the computers and which maintains the potential for “bounded (or unbounded) reversibility” in case the intended information dispatched by a source computational entity is not captured or properly accepted by a destination computational entity. The mechanism enables distributed computers in a network to remain continuously aware of each other's presence; to communicate on a logically nearest neighbor basis in a secure and reliable manner in which packets passed over these links do not conflict with normal traffic or cause the available resources of the link to exceeded; and that atomicity, isolation, and “reversible durability” may be maintained for transactions when perturbations occur.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method of creating an entangled link between a first computing entity and a second computing entity comprising:
 identifying, using one or more processors, the first computing entity; 
 discovering, using one or more processors, the second computing entity by the first computing entity; 
 connecting, using one or more processors, the first computing entity to the second computing entity, wherein the entangled link is maintained using a packet-exchange hot potato protocol mechanism between the first computing entity and the second computing entity, and establishing an entanglement between the first computing entity and the second computing entity using a token exchange method; 
 such token exchange method uses a token which is uniquely identifiable only to each of the first computing entity and the second computing entity and presents no observable indication of progress until communication of information occurs between the first computing entity and the second computing entity. 
 
     
     
       2. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the token exchange uses a token. 
     
     
       3. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the token exchange method maintains a potential for bounded or unbounded reversibility. 
     
     
       4. The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein if the information from the first computing entity is not accepted or captured by the second computing entity, the token is reversed and sent back to the first computing entity, enabling the first computing entity and the second computing entity to remain continually aware of each other's presence. 
     
     
       5. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein a conserved quantity token is maintained indefinitely within the entangles link and replaced by an exchanged quantity when actual information is transferred between the first computing entity and the second computing entity. 
     
     
       6. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the token is encrypted information. 
     
     
       7. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the entangled link is in a state of transmitting or receiving wherein an exchange of information occurs. 
     
     
       8. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the entangled link is in a state of entanglement wherein no actual information is being transferred, instead an idempotent token is indefinitely exchanged between the first computing entity and the second computing entity in such a way that no operating system protocol needs to be activated. 
     
     
       9. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the token is maintained to be cryptographically unique and with a large incrementing serial number, which steps monotonically forward or backwards in its count as information is transferred. 
     
     
       10. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the token is maintained to be cryptographically unique and with a large incrementing serial number, which steps monotonically forward or backwards in its count as information is untransferred. 
     
     
       11. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the token passing over the entanglement link does not conflict with normal traffic. 
     
     
       12. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the token passing over the entanglement link does not cause the available resources of the entanglement link to exceed its capacity. 
     
     
       13. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the packet exchange hot potato protocol mechanism measures latency in the exchange of the token from the first computing entity to the second computing entity and from the second computing entity to the first computing entity. 
     
     
       14. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the packet exchange hot potato protocol mechanism further comprises an exchange of more than one token between the first computing entity and the second computing entity.